Raytheon gets Patriot engineering option

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The Army has awarded Raytheon a $65 million contract for engineering support for Patriot missile batteries around the world.

Raytheon said the award provides the funding needed for the second of four, year-long options on the original contract awarded to its Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) in 2004.

"As the prime contractor for Patriot air and missile defense, IDS works to assure that both the United States and its international customers possess a reliable, scaleable air and missile defense capability against all threats," said IDS Vice President Rick Yuse.

The Patriot has been a mainstay of U.S. missile defense since the first Gulf War and remains on station in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kuwait as well as Taiwan, Europe and Japan. It earned its stripes with a still-controversial performance against Iraqi Scud missiles during the Gulf War in which it received mixed reviews.

The system has since been upgraded to the PAC-3 version; however at the same time potential enemy cruise and tactical ballistic missile technology has been improved.

Part of the contract will involve preliminary work on Combined Aggregate Program which will align the Patriot with the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS). MEADS is being developed as a mobile overall tactical air defense system against missiles and enemy aircraft.

Raytheon's personnel will provide system and software engineering as well as hardware engineering, configuration management and logistical support. The work will be performed in Saudi Arabia and at Raytheon facilities in the United States.

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